“The Era has taken footwork back for Chicago.”
– Chicago Tribune
About Us
The Era Footwork Crew are pioneers of the battle dance known as Chicago footwork.
Since 2014, The Era has expanded upon what it means to be a dance crew, addressing inequality and racism through their lyrics and panel discussions and supporting women and girls in the history of footwork through collaboration and documentation.
They have been on stages across the world, from Chicago to Japan to Peru, performing and choreographing alongside leading artists such as Chance the Rapper, DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, and Theaster Gates. Institutions like the Field Foundation, the University of Chicago, the Joyce Foundation, and NEFA (New England Foundation For The Arts) have recognized The Era with grants in support of the group's boundary-breaking artistic and social leadership. The Era's work has been featured in short documentaries by VICE, CBC (Canadian Broadcast Company), and the Chicago Tribune.
The Era has consistently leveled up across its first decade of artistic development. They dropped their first music video in 2016, started leading a variety of community programs for youth dancers in 2016, and were awarded the $90k National Dance Prize from NEFA (New England Foundation For The Arts) in 2019 that put their evening-length production, IN THE WURKZ, at the frontlines of American concert dance. Read more about the crew's many milestone achievements here.
From Chatham to Tokyo, The Era's work calls attention to the history of footwork across three generations of black dancers in Chicago, and in terms of a global movement, as footwork continues to develop and expand.
What We Do
More than a dance company, The Era Footwork Collective fulfills its core mission of “Footwork Saves Lives” by:
performing and producing top caliber dance and music,
leading transformative community programs,
educating others on the rich history of this Chicago-born art form,
undertaking original and boundary-pushing collaborations, and
imagining and instituting new structures for sustainability and thriving.
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